


Odin's Ravens

by Kaesa



Series: Unspeakable Madness [3]
Category: Harry Potter - Rowling
Genre: Espionage, Gen, Hufflepuff, Introspection, Mad Science, Marauders' Era, Occlumency, POV Minor Character, POV Original Character, POV Third Person, War, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-16
Updated: 2009-11-16
Packaged: 2017-10-03 00:52:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaesa/pseuds/Kaesa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An Unspeakable and double agent prepares herself for a meeting with Lord Voldemort.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Odin's Ravens

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is inspired by the MWPP RPG Leviosa, which can be found at LJ as leviosarpg. This particular take on Augustus Rookwood belongs to thinkatory.

  


The best lies had a grain of truth in them. Ed, being a generally honest woman, knew this. She knew how to turn the golden truth into dull grey lead; the Department had been started for the purpose of alchemy, after all.

It was, however, with some worry that she started her task; she hadn't done this sort of thing for a real audience since her Post-Trainee days. And yet... she took a deep breath. She knew what she would need; she taught Psychology of Dark Wizards to trainees, after all. She knew how Dark wizards' minds worked, and she knew what they wanted from their followers, and so, while she herself lacked the skill for following -- ironic, that: a Hufflepuff who could only lead and not follow -- Ed knew what would be expected. And she believed she could comply, in parts.

A fanatic devotion to the Cause. She took a deep breath, and conjured up images of Avatar in its heyday; back then it was the great and glorious Project Avatar, her own atom bomb to put her name on the list with Oppenheimer and the rest. She would see it through and she would stop at _nothing;_ she was willing to lie, to threaten, to steal -- even to kill, though that had not gone so well when she'd tried it. And slowly a mess of silvery Thought filled the beaker in front of her.

A mindless adoration of its Leader. She swallowed, and remembered third year. It had been the most _terrible_ school year to be suffered by any student, she thought -- one of her roommates, Myrtle, had _died._ And thereafter, she had rather adored the hero of the moment, a Slytherin called Tom Riddle. Ed didn't know where he was now -- probably a businessman or politician or something equally tiresome; that was generally what happened to these people who showed such promise in school that they couldn't _not_ take what the world offered them. She doubted she could adore anyone with the brainless fervor of a grieving thirteen-year-old -- not anymore, she was too jaded -- but it was illogical, and illogical was what she was looking for. And, concentrating, she replaced the image of Tom Riddle, savior of Hogwarts, with the pale face of Lord Voldemort. It was surprisingly easy, and she wondered if -- but no, that was silly. Time enough for conspiracy theories later.

A willingness to live and die for the Cult. Well. That was easy enough. She thought of the Department. The people could go to hell -- she didn't care if they took the most direct route and marched right through the Veil -- so long as the Department survived. The Department was her _home;_ it was her work and her life and it was the only place she could ever imagine herself, and she would never let that die, so long as she could do anything about it. She opened her eyes, and with some surprise, saw the Thought in the beaker take a pinkish tinge. So this was Love -- she still had some of _that_ left in her shriveled, Dementor-ridden soul. She found it oddly comforting. So much the better.

And now for the hard part.

She pictured Augustus -- aged a respectable seven years, rather than four and the brutal three he'd spent in Azkaban -- and... that younger man from the first meeting -- Malfoy, she thought -- coming to meet her in her cell. She shuddered at the cell, and involuntarily recalled the cold of the Dementors, and the memories.

Then she pictured Amelia Bones, and here she took out her rage -- where Augustus had been spared, _here_ were the wearying marks of neglect and despair and cruelty. She walked stiffly to the cell, and Malfoy opened it for her, the perfect parody of a gentleman, while Augustus held the wand, ostensibly controlling her movements with Imperius.

"Give her the letter," Augustus ordered, and Ed could almost _hear_ it.

And there the memory faded out; any more would prove her ignorance on matters of the future.

She poured the Thought -- in Memory solution -- out of her makeshift Pensieve and into a small flask, and tucked it into her pocket.

There was a knock at the door. "Come on, then, He's going to be angry if we're late," snapped Augustus.

"Yes, yes, of course," called Ed, rolling her eyes. "I am nearly ready." She put her strongest block over her mind, and tapped the wand to the flask, whispering "_Occlumens._"

The human mind had a strange knack for fooling itself. Hoping luck and Voldemort's ego were on her side, Ed opened the door and glared out at Augustus. "You need not be so impatient; we still have several minutes."

"Yes, well. There's always Cruciatus. Or worse," he snapped.

_Death Eaters,_ Ed thought. _What a stupid name. One should never eat something one fears._ She shrugged, and, fearless, went off to meet the Dark Lord.

  



End file.
